Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of displaying an operation screen obtained from a server, a method of controlling the image processing apparatus, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a system that uses voice synthesis to support operations in various situations, such as character input on a personal computer (PC), information retrieval on a car navigation system or a smart phone, voice guidance on a facsimile machine, has been investigated. These target various users, including vision-impaired users, elderly users, or the like.
To support operation of an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral), an apparatus that performs an operation explanation that uses voice synthesis has been investigated. Specifically, by operating a numeric keypad in an operation unit of the MFP, focus is moved to various buttons in the operation screen, and reading out loud of a focused portion is performed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-31273).
Meanwhile, connecting an information processing apparatus, such as a PC, to a Web server on a network, and displaying an operation screen provided by the Web server on a Web browser that the information processing apparatus is provided with is known.
In such a case, first the Web browser of the information processing apparatus performs a request for the operation screen towards the Web server. Then, a Web application on the Web server responds to the information processing apparatus with HTML (HyperText Markup Language) data for displaying the operation screen on the Web browser, in response to the request from the information processing apparatus. The Web browser of the information processing apparatus analyzes the received HTML data, and displays the operation screen based on the description of the HTML data.
Furthermore, when a user inputs an instruction via an operation screen displayed on the Web browser, the Web browser notifies the Web server of the input instruction. The Web application on the Web server, having received this notification, executes processing in accordance with the input instruction.
Among MFPs, there is an MFP that is provided with a Web browser such as is described above. Such an MFP uses the above described procedure to display the operation screen provided by the Web server on the Web browser of the MFP, and accept various instructions from the user. A system in which the operation screen, which inputs instructions for using functions that the MFP provides, is provided to the Web server, and the user inputs instructions to the MFP via the operation screen displayed on the Web browser is being considered.
In a Web browser on a PC, as a tool for improving accessibility for vision-impaired users, software called a screen reader is provided (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-10992). The screen reader outputs voice in accordance with detail of a display document (in other words, the displayed content is read out loud). Accordingly, vision-impaired users can operate by themselves an application or the like according to the voice that is read out loud by the screen reader.
In a display document displayed by the Web browser on the MFP, details read out loud by the screen reader become cumbersome because HTML tags included in the display document or the like are read out loud unchanged, and it may be difficult for the user to grasp the details of the display document. Therefore, in a technique such as Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-21108, an explanatory sentence is prepared separately, and by reading it out loud, it is possible to make it easier to understand by voice output of the displayed content of a Web page.
As in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-31273, operation that uses a numeric keypad is realized in the MFP. Meanwhile, while reading out loud via a voice has been realized as in a screen reader in a Web browser on a PC, this not suitable to a Web browser accompanying operation of an application on an MFP. A voice read-out that corresponds to operation of a Web browser on the MFP via a numeric keypad or the like has not been realized. Accordingly, for a user of an MFP, there is a difference between operation of an application corresponding to voice read-out and operation of the application via the Web browser, and there is a problem from an aspect of usability. In addition, for the user, confusion is introduced by the difference in operation.